Depends on your size and speed I guess.. If you're quick enough you can probable get open without using contact, slower players will usually step into their opponent and then step out using the contact to get open. I would recommend this even if you're quick enough to just fake and get open, because if you make a solid in-out there's really no way they're gonna get the steal.

As a big man just back down your opponent..

If you're begin defender by someone more athletic and faster than yourself you can also just call for a screen to get open, easy and effective.

it sort of becomes a habit if one or two guys do it and you will never have to worry about the ball coming back to you

setting screens off the ball will throw off defenses sometimes and more often than not you'll be open later on in the play if you stay moving

also when you use a screen, come shoulder to shoulder on your screened but keep your hands up so that your elbow actually touches the back of the screeners arm, that way your man can't squeeze through screens

if he goes under on you, practice fades off of screens, especially if you're a good shooter

And keep moving. When I'm not running the point I usually like to run wing to wing with some fakes and hesitations thrown in. I never have trouble getting open but unfortunately I have a hard time knocking down open shots.

This is actually a bit of a thing for me. I hate watching guys in pick up games standing 25 feet from the hoop clapping to get the ball so they can iso and consider that getting open.

If you're in a pick up game, so there's no offense being run, and you want to get open, SET SCREENS. The instinct is that you want screens set for you. But truthfully, more often than not it's the screener who's open if you're defenders are worth their salt and helping at all. This is particularly true of backscreens. Every year the team I coach sends a couple kids to an All Star game. A few times I've been asked to coach, but the times I haven't, I go and watch, and I always tell my kids the same thing. No one is going to run anything, so set a ton of back screens on the perimeter. If the cutter gets open going to the hoop you look like a selfless team player, but more often you'll be able to open up and step into a pass with a defender having to come toward you after helping and now recovering.

On ball screens work too. Better for bigs, because it's harder to simply switch. But a basic top of the key pick and pop can get you facing up with a defender coming at you.

If you're trying to get on the block, set down screens. Down screen to get somebody popping to the wing, and you should be able turn and seal and get someone on your back.

Once you become "the screen guy", you can start slipping them. Particularly effective with on ball screens. Head over there like you're gonna set one, and when you're defender cheats out to help, or prematurely switch, dive to the hoop. It's a pretty pass for the guy with ball, so he'll want to make it.

And for basic movement. Particularly with shooters. Start under the hoop. There's always traffic down there, so even though you're not having an offense run with people trying to get you open, you can still run off the bigs who in pickup often just park themselves down there. Hell, if you get open and dump it in to them a few times, you may find they actually try to spring you after a while. You can run deeks and cut to either side from there, you have the option to flair out if your chased, or fade to the corner if you're played over the screen. And then if you're chased hard you can usually run a good curl right back into the paint.

And if you want to keep it really simple ... cut the court in half vertically. If you're on the same side of the court as the ball, get away to the other side, and if you're on the side without the ball, come toward it.

This is actually a bit of a thing for me. I hate watching guys in pick up games standing 25 feet from the hoop clapping to get the ball so they can iso and consider that getting open.

If you're in a pick up game, so there's no offense being run, and you want to get open, SET SCREENS. The instinct is that you want screens set for you. But truthfully, more often than not it's the screener who's open if you're defenders are worth their salt and helping at all. This is particularly true of backscreens. Every year the team I coach sends a couple kids to an All Star game. A few times I've been asked to coach, but the times I haven't, I go and watch, and I always tell my kids the same thing. No one is going to run anything, so set a ton of back screens on the perimeter. If the cutter gets open going to the hoop you look like a selfless team player, but more often you'll be able to open up and step into a pass with a defender having to come toward you after helping and now recovering.

On ball screens work too. Better for bigs, because it's harder to simply switch. But a basic top of the key pick and pop can get you facing up with a defender coming at you.

If you're trying to get on the block, set down screens. Down screen to get somebody popping to the wing, and you should be able turn and seal and get someone on your back.

Once you become "the screen guy", you can start slipping them. Particularly effective with on ball screens. Head over there like you're gonna set one, and when you're defender cheats out to help, or prematurely switch, dive to the hoop. It's a pretty pass for the guy with ball, so he'll want to make it.

And for basic movement. Particularly with shooters. Start under the hoop. There's always traffic down there, so even though you're not having an offense run with people trying to get you open, you can still run off the bigs who in pickup often just park themselves down there. Hell, if you get open and dump it in to them a few times, you may find they actually try to spring you after a while. You can run deeks and cut to either side from there, you have the option to flair out if your chased, or fade to the corner if you're played over the screen. And then if you're chased hard you can usually run a good curl right back into the paint.

And if you want to keep it really simple ... cut the court in half vertically. If you're on the same side of the court as the ball, get away to the other side, and if you're on the side without the ball, come toward it.

Thank you. We are of the same ilk. Can you believe I've been a part of discussions before where a large chunk of people did not believe screens belonged in pickup basketball? For a while, I thought that's what was happening in this thread (though Burgz and others eventually mentioned it).

One of the more frustrating aspects of pickup ball can come when I frequently attempt to set screens only to have teammates remain stationary. Thankfully, 85% of these teammates are guilted into using them when I bluntly say "C'mon, this way. Use this." Even still, it can be frustrating when I find myself on the block, waiting to be sprung, only to never have a screen set my way.

My own addition would be in Ann Arbor what they used to call "getting your feet wet". A lot of players try to get open on the perimeter through a single step or two inward then back. It's often not enough. More times than not, working a defender down toward the paint (i.e. getting one's feet wet) and ensuring your feet are above those of the defenders, will often be enough to create ample separation.

Thank you. We are of the same ilk. Can you believe I've been a part of discussions before where a large chunk of people did not believe screens belonged in pickup basketball? For a while, I thought that's what was happening in this thread (though Burgz and others eventually mentioned it).

One of the more frustrating aspects of pickup ball can come when I frequently attempt to set screens only to have teammates remain stationary. Thankfully, 85% of these teammates are guilted into using them when I bluntly say "C'mon, this way. Use this." Even still, it can be frustrating when I find myself on the block, waiting to be sprung, only to never have a screen set my way.

My own addition would be in Ann Arbor what they used to call "getting your feet wet". A lot of players try to get open on the perimeter through a single step or two inward then back. It's often not enough. More times than not, working a defender down toward the paint (i.e. getting one's feet wet) and ensuring your feet are above those of the defenders, will often be enough to create ample separation.

Yeah, I'd call that a deek. A fake cut. There's also something I call a rub, which is when you walk your defender down, chest to chest, then pop back out.

When I coach my team, we split into bigs and smalls, and run a few screen related drills. A three on three bigs drill called the meat grinder. On each block and the high post, and it's up to them to screen back and fourth to each other, flash, and open up on screens to try to get open. The entry pass comes from two coaches undefended, so we can run them in the grinder for a few minutes at a time. Once a pass goes in we expect one more exchange. So if it goes to the lowpost, I want a back screen to my high post guy. And if it goes to the high post, I want a cross screen between my bigs. It's one of my favorite drills.

With the smalls I do more footwork shooting drills. Two lines. One under the hoop, one on the wing. Back screen for the wing, and then my focus is on guys opening up, getting their buts around, and catching the ball ready to shoot.

Then when I get them together, I'll run a roll out drill two on two. A line under the hoop on each side of the paint, one bigs one smalls. The big rolls the ball out to the opposite elbow, where the small comes and picks it up. The big chases it out there to play pick and roll, with the second guys in each line defending. We'll usually go throw pick and roll, pick and pop, and slip screens first. Then we'll add in an extra pass to the big, and run my whole high hand off series, which is cut for jumper, fake hand off dive, fake hand off inside pivot jumper for the big, and a slip cut for the small when he's overplayed.
We'll run that stuff as drill for a few weeks, then I let them play it out themselves.

These little mini versions of the game, two on twos, three on threes, they're all just building blocks to the bigger thing, and I don't think we as a basketball culture teach it nearly enough. They are as fundamental as the "fundamentals" of shooting, ball handling, etc. And when you run into a guy who isn't a great shooter, or dribbler, yet he still is good, and you can't figure out why, we usually say something like "he has good instincts". I feel like that's sort of a cop out. Instincts may be there to some degree, but this stuff can be taught, and it should, but it isn't.

1. Change of speed, as Rip shows in the video, you don't necessarily have to have blazing speed, but you need to be able change speeds effectively to throw your defenders off. When you make your cuts, it's not full-speed all the time, it's a slow couple of steps, then a sudden explosion to the ball.

How powerful is change of speed? I like to use the Jamie Moyer analogy. Moyer is the most average pitcher I've ever seen, his fastball probably tops at 90, but he changes speeds so well. He is the best pitcher I know that uses the off-speed pitch so effectively.

2. Get into triple-threat. When you receive the pass, you should be set and ready to shoot right away. This will allow you to either shoot the ball while open, or attack your defender who is probably closing on you and out of position.

3. Coming off screens properly. Make sure that you use the shoulder to hip rule. To properly use a screen you want to get low and have your shoulder rub the hip of your screener.

4. Use a variety of cuts. v-cut, l-cut, curl, flare, backdoor cut. As Rip shows us, never be in one spot for longer than two seconds. If your not open, GET OPEN.

1. Change of speed, as Rip shows in the video, you don't necessarily have to have blazing speed, but you need to be able change speeds effectively to throw your defenders off. When you make your cuts, it's not full-speed all the time, it's a slow couple of steps, then a sudden explosion to the ball.

How powerful is change of speed? I like to use the Jamie Moyer analogy. Moyer is the most average pitcher I've ever seen, his fastball probably tops at 90, but he changes speeds so well. He is the best pitcher I know that uses the off-speed pitch so effectively.

2. Get into triple-threat. When you receive the pass, you should be set and ready to shoot right away. This will allow you to either shoot the ball while open, or attack your defender who is probably closing on you and out of position.

3. Coming off screens properly. Make sure that you use the shoulder to hip rule. To properly use a screen you want to get low and have your shoulder rub the hip of your screener.

4. Use a variety of cuts. v-cut, l-cut, curl, flare, backdoor cut. As Rip shows us, never be in one spot for longer than two seconds. If your not open, GET OPEN.

^^Good stuff. Rip Hamilton, Reggie miller even Allen Iverson were all good players who move well without the ball.

The one good thing about moving without the ball is you can advanced through all levels of basketball if you move without the ball and can shoot. You may never be a superstar.... but you can be decent at every level.